UFC on FOX 4 results recap: Biggest winner and loser from 'Shogun vs Vera' event

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) successfully wrapped its fourth offering on the FOX network as UFC on Fox 4 took center stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sat., Aug. 4, 2012.

In the main event, Mauricio Rua took on Brandon Vera in a match up that had the potential to be a number one contender eliminator match for the Light Heavyweight division. The fight was neck-and-neck, as Vera proved to be a much tougher test than many gave him credit for, leading up to the contest.

Finally, "Shogun" was able to wear him down and win the war via technical knockout, after burying him under a barrage of punches. It was a great win, but, unfortunately, Rua was not the only one competing for a title shot.

The co-main event featured another important 205-pound bout between Lyoto Machida and Ryan Bader. This was a fight which also held a championship fight as its reward, allowing that the victor was able to do so in an impressive fashion.

After one round of essentially playing around with his opponent, Machida finally caught Bader on the way in with a right hand, directly on the button, putting him to sleep and earning "The Dragon" another impressive knockout.

Impressive enough?

Join me after the jump where we'll take a look at who emerged at the biggest winner and lowliest loser from UFC on FOX 4: "Shogun vs. Vera:"

WINNER:

After Lyoto Machida knocked out Ryan Bader he made the definitive statement that "The Dragon" is back, during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

He might be right, but Bader is no Jon Jones. He's no Dan Henderson either, really.

Regardless of that fact, Machida did what he had to do. He was told to perform, and he did. You can be mad about Dana White narrowing it down to the four fighters that he did, but that's really a separate argument.

As things stand, Machida is next in line and will get his chance at redemption after Jon Jones and Dan Henderson square off at UFC 151 in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept. 1, 2012.

Should "Bones" be able to retain his title, Machida will get a second crack at the man who choked him out in brutal fashion, when the two first fought at UFC 140 in Toronto, Ontario on Dec. 10, 2011.

If "Hendo" gets the nod, it will setup an exciting match up between two legendary mixed martial artists who have never faced each other before.

LOSER:

This is a tough one, primarily because the event was just so good. Almost every fight on the UFC on FOX 4 card rocked and rocked hard.

Seven of the 10 fights ended by knockout or submission. That's a pretty high clip. For a free card, fans got their money's worth and a whole lot more.

The only fight on the card that really failed to live up to expectations Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado, which was thankfully on the preliminary undercard, so by the time the whole event was over, most fans had forgotten about it.

My biggest loser of the evening is "Mr. Wonderful," whose night was cut short after he accidentally poked Prado in the eye, forcing the doctor onhand to call an end to the fight.

It was nasty. Prado, who was making his Octagon debut, got poked directly in the eye, and suffered bleeding and abrasions, almost immediately. The worst part is that Davis was really getting it handed to him before the unfortunate incident. Prado was walking him down and picking him apart on the feet.

If things had continued the way they were going, it was very possible that the hungry Brazilian newcomer would have earned himself a knockout.

It was a bad night for Davis. It wasn't a great night for Prado either, but Davis definitely walks away with the worse stench of the two.

Anyway, those are my submissions. Who was your biggest winner and lowliest loser from UFC on FOX 4?